Stampede At OAU Amphitheatre 

About three students fainted and were rushed to the University Health Centre on Saturday 14th of August, 2021 following the stampede that occurred at the amphitheatre as a result of the large number of students that showed up for the SER 001 (Use of English) mid-semester test. SER 001 is a compulsory special course taken by all part 1 students admitted and those admitted through Direct Entry.

Earlier in the week, the Department of English scheduled the time and sitting arrangements for the general SER 001 test. Due to the population of students taking the course, the time intervals already slated for going and coming in for different batches at the 5000 capacity Amphitheater were ineffective. Alas, the accumulation of several batches turned into a mammoth crowd and students had to struggle to enter and leave the auditorium.

During this process, many students sustained injuries as they fell from the stairs, some lost their belongings and not less than three students fainted. However, the students were rushed to the University Health Center and were medically attended to. Despite the hullabaloo, the test ended in the evening around 4:00 pm for all categories of students.

Speaking to some of the students who took the test, they expressed their disappointment and they narrated the physical and emotional stress they passed through just to enter the venue of the test. They believed the incident would have been averted if the department had scheduled the test at different venues as it has always been for general PPT examinations or resulted in CBT mode as they did for those who took the course last session. 

“Many of us could not even remember what we read due to what we passed through before we were able to enter Amphi. Some of us lost our writing materials during the process. This is just a general test, I hope they have better plans for the examination as what happened today is really an unfair situation,” a student lamented.

However, on Sunday the 15th of August, a statement was released from the coordinators of the course to all students offering the course notifying them of the immediate cancellation of the test.